Ayman Samman

When The Shelves Hymn

After Mariam’s husband mysteriously disappears, she reluctantly takes their teenage son Saeed from their home in Jeddah to mountainous AIUla, intending to sell their family-owned antique shop. Saeed is sullenly resentful, detesting the move; Mariam struggles to stay in charge while she searches for the title documents she needs to make a sale. What she finds instead are unpaid bills, a video diary in which her husband confessed to severe depression and some newspaper clippings about suicide. It is a discovery that will change her outdated view of men’s role as she and her son together embrace a new, independent life.

The Strangers' Case

Over four centuries ago, William Shakespeare collaborated with others on a play about the historical figure Sir Thomas More. In it, he wrote a speech in which More passionately articulates a defence of refugees, culminating in a poignant reference to their plight. Fast-forward to the present: Aleppo, in the midst of the Syrian civil war. Amira, a paediatric surgeon, performs a life-saving operation during the darkest days of the conflict. Through an unexpected twist of fate, she and her daughter become central characters in a dangerous tale that intricately interweaves the lives of five families spanning four continents and redefines all of their existences. Versions of this story continue to repeat themselves over the centuries. For this reason, Shakespeare aptly named this plight “The Strangers’ Case”.

Refugee

A Syrian doctor attempts to escape her war-ravaged homeland with her young daughter.

Shoot

After studying at university and excelling in soccer, a young Saudi is torn between the traditions of his father and the freedom he experiences in the U.S.

Rated

Maggie must find the courage to own up to her behavior when she wakes to find every adult has received a YELP-like star rating floating over their head. While most every adult has a shining 4 and 5 stars, Maggie's got just 2.5.

American Sniper

U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle takes his sole mission—protect his comrades—to heart and becomes one of the most lethal snipers in American history. His pinpoint accuracy not only saves countless lives but also makes him a prime target of insurgents. Despite grave danger and his struggle to be a good husband and father to his family back in the States, Kyle serves four tours of duty in Iraq. However, when he finally returns home, he finds that he cannot leave the war behind.

Don't Look Back

A troubled young woman inherits a cabin filled with memories, but revealed secrets of the past ruin her hopes of a fresh start.

Checkpoint

"Machsom", the Hebrew word for "Checkpoint", tells the story of Yaniv Greenblatt, a barely 19 Israeli soldier stationed at one of the most dangerous such checkpoints along the West Bank. He would like to be a pacifist and struggles to be fair to the Palestinians, but has to contend with the prying eyes of his superiors. The problems Yaniv faces at home are no easier. His mother is a wheelchair bound hard-right-winger due to the same terrorist attack that killed her husband. The story centers on Yaniv's relationship with his younger brother, Avi, who attends one of the few mixed Jewish-Arab schools in Israel, and builds towards an incident at the checkpoint that challenges all involved to reconsider their previous resolve.